I blogged a few weeks back on the worrying constitutional changes being put through by President Mubarak in Egypt. Amnesty called the changes the "greatest erosion of human rights in 26 years".
Newsweek reports that the Democrats in Washington are planning to cut funding to Mubarak's regime in Egypt. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph has an excellent leader entitled: "America must halt cash flow to Egypt":
While our United States Armed Forces and others die in lraq to promote democracy and freedom our government gives billions of dollars in aid to an Egyptian dictator. This is a double standard shedding a negative on the United states of America to include being disrespectful of our Armed Forces who are serving and those who have died in the name of freedom.
Egyptian President Murbark is an outright dictator holding the presidential office for 26 years and being recipient of the second largest amount of U.S. aid in billions of dollars intended to promote and support credible elections process, enhance collaboration between responsive government and informed citizenry, increase availability of effective legal services and protect human rights, etc. This has not and is not happening.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, Egypt, who struggle for democracy and freedom are not common criminals, but highly educated people of the Egyptian society who strive to live in a free society. By speaking out government opponents, dissidents, journalists, students, etc., have had their human rights violated, suffered tortured beatings, family members threatened and many have been imprisoned for months awaiting trial before a military tribunal.
Isn’t it past time the American people demand no more billions of dollars to Dictator Murbark? Free Egypt.
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Recent developments in Egypt are indeed a matter of concern. I'm pleased to say that both the Liberal Democrats (through its internatinal relations committee and the Westminister Foundation for Democracy) and English PEN (on whose Writers in Prison Committee I serve) have agreed to make Egypt a top priority for work over the coming months (and beyond). Last July, I attended the launch of the Arab Liberal Network (ALMENA) which includes some excellent journalists, academics, bussinessmen and political activists, who are working to prmote liberal values and defend freedoms in this important and in many ways delightful country. I am due to return to Cairo in June for more meetings.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that update, Jonathan, which is reassuring and well done for your continuing work on this.
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